30.12.07

well, no one ever said baking was good for the figure. we decided on the classic crumb cake for our first baking afternoon. (french baguette will come later this evening). we stocked up on flour, sugar, new vanilla extract, etc. we also scored a deal at fairway for organic butter. even though i bought nearly everything else organic, normally i might not splurge on this considering how many sticks i was buying, and instead go for a typical (cheaper) butter like cabot or breakstone. but one glance at the ingredient list on those, and you'll find "natural flavors". because the FDA doesn't regulate the term "natural flavors" that could mean anything, including some things a normal person might find quite unnatural. sigh. but luckily, horizon organic butter was on sale for the same price, so i stocked up on 6 pounds of that. i don't even like buying horizon brand because i prefer smaller farms. but i figure, if the first thing i am baking requires over 1 pound of butter, i mizewell (how does any one spell that??) get the good stuff. it's just cream and lactic acid! what else do you need in butter?

the verdict: we just tried it, and mr. mimi, who is a crumb cake connoisseur, pronounced this one the best he has tasted, ever!!

2. beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (we used the lovely miss kitchen aid), about 4 minutes. add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition. mix in vanilla. add flour mixture and sour cream. beat until just combined.

3. spoon batter into pan, smoothing with spatula. sprinkle crumb topping evenly over batter. bake until cake is golden brown, about 40-50 minutes and rotating halfway through. knife in the center should come out clean. transfer to wire rack to cool and dust with confectioner sugar if desired.

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a word about the recipes

if you don't see a name, that means it was created by mr. mimi or myself. if you see an "adapted from" that means the recipe is here tweaked a bit (ingredients or methods) from the original source. if you see a "from" that means the recipe is here as written in whatever source i cite.